"I can't take this anymore."
Allen had a perfect life, good at academics, sports, born into a rich family, admitted into a top university… Everything was going well for him until he got diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. Because of this, he spent months bedridden and in extreme pain. His life was ruined, and no money could save him.
Allen was in a pathetic state now, his hair gone, his body pale. His parents and sister were sitting beside him anxiously. The room felt heavy, filled with silence. His mother couldn't stop crying, her face tired and eyes swollen. His father was clenching his arms trying to act strong but his eyes were red, his posture stiff. His younger sister, her hair slightly messy and eyes teary, still couldn't accept it and kept yelling at the doctors.
"Leah, stop yelling, it can't be helped," Allen murmured.
"Don't give up dear, the doctors are trying their best, you'll be fine… I know you will, just d-don't lose hope," his mother helplessly cried.
"Well, I'm tired of this life now. Lying like this for a few more months won't make a difference anyway. I'm sorry for not being able to do anything."
"Why are you sorry? It's not your fault… It's our fault we didn't notice the signs earlier," his dad said.
"N-NO, you cannot go," Leah cried.
"Shut up already will you, I just wanna sleep now, quietly." He closed his eyes.
'How long has it been since I slept? W-Wait, where am I?!?'
Allen woke up in a completely new atmosphere. He saw a golden ceiling above him, faint patterns carved into it. The space around him was large, quiet, and far too luxurious to be normal. A maid standing nearby froze for a second before quickly running out after realizing he was awake.
Allen got up, his body now completely healthy. He quickly went in front of the mirror and… there he was, a tall, handsome man with golden hair and golden eyes. His features were sharp, his jawline well-defined.
'Did I transmigrate into someone else's body?'
Suddenly about 10 maids rushed in and bowed deeply.
"We greet the crown prince."
'The crown prince??? That explains the luxurious room but did I transmigrate into the past then? And that too without any knowledge regarding the kingdom or my own family? If these medieval era bastards realize that I'm different, they're surely gonna claim I got possessed and execute me….'
Following the maids, 2 young men and 4 young women wearing royal attire came inside. Their clothing was elegant. Some of them wore an expression of… fear? Their posture was stiff, and none of them dared to meet his eyes for long.
"B-Brother, are you alright now?"
"I was so worried when I heard that you collapsed that day."
"How did you get injured? This shouldn't be possible."
All of them flooded Allen with questions, and Allen didn't know what to say.
'They must be the other princes and princesses, but by observing the behavior of the maids and even my siblings, I can conclude that the original person was cold or probably even ruthless, as they clearly fear me. I can use this opportunity.'
He gave all of them a cold look and the room, which was noisy, suddenly became quiet.
"How long has it been since I collapsed?"
"T-Three days."
Suddenly a young and beautiful woman rushed in. She had long blonde hair flowing down her back and sharp emerald green eyes that stood out immediately. Unlike the others, she didn't hesitate much, though there was still a hint of tension in her expression.
"Arthur! I came in as soon as I heard… I had been waiting at the palace for three days."
'Oh so my new name is Arthur… But who is this person? Another sibling? No that can't be, she clearly is an outsider and she even called me casually, maybe a friend?'
"I appreciate the fact that you all came to see me and also showed concern for me, but I have not yet recovered and would like to stay alone for a while. I'll ask you for details later on."
As soon as he said that, everyone except the blonde-haired woman bowed again and they all left him alone.
'Sigh… I'm glad I have authority otherwise they wouldn't have gone so easily. But that makes me wonder who even is this person? Is he some cruel tyrant? Right, I should go to the library and maybe I'll find out something about the kingdom with my knowledge in history.'
He asked a maid to escort him to the grand library and spent hours researching about the kingdom's history, eventually finding a few books about himself as well. He discovered a good news and a bad news.
The bad news was that he was currently in the Drakenhart Empire, a massive empire that spanned the entire continent of Eldrosia, ruling over countless noble families including 4 grand dukes, 12 dukes, 38 counts, and numerous viscounts and barons. This meant that Allen was not in the past, instead he was in another world.
Moreover, this was a fantasy world which had mana, a special type of energy that grants people powers… His situation was similar to those novel protagonists he had read about. Everyone is born with a mana core, and its strength determines a person's potential. Its limit is mostly decided at birth, but intense training and extreme conditions can push that limit further.
Mana is used in both combat and daily life, and its control differs depending on the user. Swordsmen circulate mana internally, strengthening their bodies, improving speed, endurance, and power. Mages, on the other hand, focus on external control, shaping mana into elements and directing it precisely.
Power is generally measured in tiers, from the lowest to the highest. Each tier represents a clear difference in control, output, and efficiency of mana. Reaching higher tiers becomes exponentially harder, with most people never progressing beyond the early stages.
Swordsmanship and magic both follow this tier system, though mastery in one does not guarantee mastery in the other. True experts are those who can balance both.
Mages are much rarer than swordsman as manipulating mana outside your body is considered a difficult skill. Thus, mages naturally dominate swordsmen in combat
The good news was that while reading about history, he unlocked quite a few memory fragments and learned the identities of all those people that had come before. He also found out that he was the crown prince, Arthur Valerius Drakenhart, who is considered the strongest person in the empire at just age 24.
He was born with a divine mark, which meant he was blessed by God and had extraordinary talent. He started defeating top knights by the age of 8 and tamed a dragon by sheer willpower at 12. By 18, he had already surpassed his own dragon in strength, and by 20, he had surpassed his father, the emperor. He has achieved 10th tier in both swordsmanship and magic.
'Hah… so that's why they all fear me. I'm the strongest person in the empire.'
'But that doesn't mean I'll be able to live an untouchable and comfortable life… I was clearly injured three days ago, which should've been impossible. I don't remember anything about that incident though… but could it be there are people stronger than me? If yes then that's troublesome, they're clearly hiding in the shadows and targeting me.'
'I probably died in my last life and there is no way back. I had mentally prepared myself that I would lose my family soon so that's why I'm not that upset… but still I have countless questions… How and why did I transmigrate into another world? What happened to the original Arthur? Someone considered the strongest had his soul disappear just like that? There has to be an explanation.'
'Regardless, I will not let this life get wasted. This situation cannot be resolved with strength alone… I need to understand my situation better and make a plan accordingly.'